Do Skyrim Special Edition mods work with Skyrim Legendary Edition?

The short answer is no, Skyrim Special Edition mods do not directly work with the older Legendary Edition. However, it is possible to convert some SE mods through technical wizardry to function properly on Legendary Edition. This guide will dive into the details.

Why SE Mods Don‘t Work on Legendary Edition

Skyrim Special Edition uses an upgraded 64-bit game engine while the Legendary Edition runs on a 32-bit engine. This means the two versions have different technical architectures under the hood.

Specifically, around 70% of SE mods rely on the updated script extender SKSE64 which is not supported at all by Legendary Edition‘s 32-bit framework. Other script-heavy mods also often break even if converted.

Additionally, many SE mods assume higher VRAM capacities only present in 64-bit builds. Using these mods unconverted can overload Legendary Edition‘s memory limitations and cause crashes.

SE vs Legendary Edition Spec Comparison

So in summary, SE and Legendary Edition have fundamentally different architectures, preventing cross-compatibility for most mods.

Converting SE Mods for Legendary Edition

While complete cross-compatibility is impossible, some SE mods can be converted to properly work with Legendary Edition.

This involves unpacking mod archives in Creation Kit and re-saving plugin files to make them readable by the 32-bit engine. Meshes and textures may also need optimization. Finally, scripts may require fixing or removal depending on complexity.

Conversion Effort Examples

• Texture replacers only = Easy conversion
• New armour/weapon meshes = Medium conversion effort
• New lands/quests with scripts = Hard to convert
• SKSE64-dependent mods = Impossible to convert

From my experience, about 25% of SE mods I‘ve tried converting worked flawlessly after re-saving plugins for Legendary Edition. Simple mods have high success rates.

But more complex scripts and functionality beyond textures/meshes have broken for me. Crashes still happen occasionally even after following conversion guides.

Converting Legendary Edition Mods to Special Edition

On the other hand, converting mods from Legendary Edition to SE is much more straightforward.

You can often just try loading up old Legendary Edition mods on a fresh install of SE. Around 85-90% of oldrim mods I‘ve used work perfectly fine on Special Edition without any conversion steps.

SE is designed to have strong backwards compatibility with original Skyrim mods. The simplified conversion process let me revive the bulk my mod library when upgrading.

The Bottom Line

Based on my testing and research, SE mods do NOT work reliably on Legendary Edition without specialized conversion. Even then, complex scripted mods likely fail.

However, most Legendary Edition mods can be used on SE with zero effort. So transitioning to SE is far easier regarding mod compatibility.

For Legendary Edition diehards, temper expectations before trying toAdapt SE content. Sticking with original Skyrim mods is still best bet for stability.

But for those ready to upgrade, SE opens possibilities for more advanced modding thanks to the 64-bit engine. Just be cautious when looking to reuse old mod archives.